


Lonely

by LemonCakeDesign



Series: Across the Universe [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: M/M, Meet-Cute, Quarantine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:42:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25682989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LemonCakeDesign/pseuds/LemonCakeDesign
Summary: My god I'm so lonelySo I open the windowTo hear sounds of peopleSometimes, it's just about who you can have nice conversations with.
Relationships: Warrior of Light/Thancred Waters
Series: Across the Universe [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1860922
Kudos: 11
Collections: Writer's Month 2020





	Lonely

Pike sits on the railing of his balcony, drinking in the night air. He can hear, distantly, the sound of one of his neighbors’ children playing, the couple next door laughing as spoons clatter against pots, the chirping of crickets just beginning. It’s nice to listen to.

Especially since he’s been stuck on his own ever since the quarantine began.

He’d moved in on his own on a whim; sick of dealing with roommates who didn’t wash dishes or left their socks in the living room or (on one notable occasion) had sex in  _ his _ bed. He could afford it, after all, now that he had steady work writing songs for pop stars. 

“I just need my own space,” he’d told Valliant when his last lease had run out and she’d offered to get a place with him.

And now, he was stuck at home with no one to talk to except his cat.

Pike sighs to himself, and dangles off the balcony upside for a bit and stares at the landscaping around his apartment. It’s that nice, bland shit; inoffensive but never truly beautiful, and it feels reminiscent of his current situation. It’s not terrible, he still video calls his friends every few days, but it’s...lonely. Not fulfilling enough.

“Twelve, what  _ are _ you doing?”

Pike shrieks and nearly loses his grip on the railing. He flips up and peers over the edge. 

It’s the handsome man that lives below him. Pike’s seen him a few times, thought about introducing himself a lot, but never got the chance before quarantine struck. He looks up at Pike expectantly, raising an eyebrow and he realizes the man expects an answer.

“Dangling over certain death to feel alive,” Pike says honestly. He’s lost his filter after this long on his own. “You?”

“Wondering if my neighbor is trying to kill himself.”

“Fun times for us both. Nice to meet you. I’m Pike.”

The man shakes his head, but he almost looks fond, so Pike counts it as a win. “Thancred. I suppose you’re the one I have to thank for being woken up at two in the morning as you…”

Pike cringes. “Dancing. Sorry. I work in music, and sometimes I need to feel the music I’m writing. I haven’t been the top neighbor in a while, so I’ve forgotten.”

“Ah, well, if it’s in the pursuit of art, I suppose it’s just fine.” Thancred grins crookedly, and Pike laughs. “Just try to keep it down, alright? I’m stressed enough as it is, I need my beauty sleep.”

“You don’t look like you need the help,” Pike says saucily, and Thancred colors a bit. Pike smirks. “So what’s got you stressed, oh neighbor mine? Besides the general ennui of quarantine.”

“I’m a writer,” Thancred answers. “I’ve a book deadline coming up soon, and it’s…not going well.”

“Wait, are you Thancred  _ Waters _ ?” Pike asks eagerly. At the answering nod, Pike makes a delighted sort of half-giggle. “I  _ adore _ your books. I’ve read  _ The Boy and The Dragon Gay  _ at  _ least _ a hundred times.”

Thancred scratches the back of his head awkwardly. “Well, it’s always nice to meet a fan. I’m actually working on the sequel now, though I can’t share any details directly.”

“Don’t need to bounce any ideas off me?” Pike asks. “I’m like a vault, my man. Still haven’t told anyone what happened on the school field trip in eighth grade.”

“Well, now I’m curious,” Thancred says. “What happened on that field trip?”

“Buy me dinner sometime, and maybe you’ll get to hear that,” Pike replies with a wink.

Thancred laughs. “Maybe after quarantine ends, then. And then I can tell you all about the sequel.”

“Aw, come on,” Pike whines, but Thancred shakes his head. Pike pouts. “You’re no fun.”

“So my daughter tells me,” Thancred says. “Sorry. The publishing house would have my head if I said anything. I  _ might  _ be able to swing you an advanced copy as an apology, though.”

Pike brightens. “Really? You barely know me, though.”

Thancred shrugs. “I get a few to give away at my discretion. And it’s not as if I have many people to give them to.”

“I’m dedicating a song in your honor,” Pike declares. “Though I won’t be the one singing it, unfortunately.”

“Ah, a ghostwriter? I used to do that in my youth.”

“Youth?” Pike laughs. “You’re like, what, barely thirty?”

“Thirty-five, actually.”

“No shit,” Pike says. “You look better than some twenty-two year olds I know.”

Thancred shrugs. “I work out.”

“Yeah, you do.” Pike winks.

Thancred laughs a little at that. “Are you flirting with me?”

“No, I’ve only been calling you hot because I like to make you feel pretty.” Pike rolls his eyes. “Of  _ course _ I’m flirting with you. Have you looked at yourself? Ah, shit, I’m not making you uncomfortable, am I? My friend Valliant tells me I see hot men and totally lose my mind.”

“No, no,” Thancred says. “It’s...quite welcome. I just...it’s not as if it can go anywhere.”

Pike smiles softly, and rests his head on his chin. “Sure it can. Nowhere physical, maybe. But you and I, we can sit on our balconies, and have nice conversations. And maybe, after everything is over, we can go get dinner. Or whatever.”

“You know,” Thancred says. “I think I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> As it turns out, "quarantine" is a hard prompt to write for me! So I kind of just went with a nice balcony conversation. I need the dialogue practice anyway.


End file.
